Seders, suits and sartorial savvy: the rabbi who has it all sewn up

Jewish religious teachers are better known for their disapproval of contemporary fashions — but Rabbi Yosel Tiefenbrun is at the cutting edge of London’s sartorial scene.

Rabbi Tiefenbrun, who is also an apprentice at Savile Row tailor Maurice Sedwell, was so well-dressed at the Golden Shears Awards ceremony last month that GQ magazine named him “best in show”.

The Golden Shears Awards honour the best in British tailoring and design.

Rabbi Tiefenbrun was given the “best dressed” moniker in an article by GQ fashion editor Nick Carvell. The piece included a photograph of the rabbi at the event at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London wearing a matching trilby, bow tie and pocket square. “There is no reason why religious people shouldn’t dress well,” said the rabbi.

After two years working as a rabbi in a Chabad synagogue in Singapore, Rabbi Tiefenbrun, 23, studied design at Newham College in London.

The oldest of ten children, Rabbi Tiefenbrun was accepted as a student and apprentice under head tailor Andrew Ramroop at Maurice Sedwell.

The rabbi described his mentor as an inspiration and “very understanding” when it came to leaving early for Shabbat and yom tovim.

Rabbi Tiefenbrun’s father is the cantor at Hackney and East London United Synagogue, where the tailor ran first-night Seder this year. “The Jewish roots in tailoring are well-known. My family is very religious but very open minded and supportive,” he said.

Rabbi Tiefenbrun maintains that “my passion is designing clothes and tailoring”. Although he did not win this year, he said he hoped to win at the next Golden Shears, in 2015.